Improvement in railway crossings



WILLIAM R. HUNTER.

lmpruvement in Railway Crossings.

No, 124,210, Patented March 5, 1872,

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Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 124,210, dated March 5, 1872.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM R. HUNTER, of Erie, in the county of Erie and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved UrossingFrog for Railroads and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and the letters of reference marked thereon.

The object of my invention is to provide a railroad-crossing frog that shall present a continuous rail to each track, and thus prevent the pounding of the oar-wheels when passing the crossing, and also preventing thejarring of the cars, thus insuring greater durability both to the track and the cars, and also adding to the comfort of passengers. In order to ac complish this, a section of the rail must be pivoted and arranged so as to be swung into place for passing trains on either track.

The following is a description of my device as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

Figure 1 shows a top view of a crossing-frog with my device constructed therein. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the under side of the same, showing the levers, connecting-rods. 820., used for shifting the pivoted section of rail.

The several parts are indicated by the following letters of reference.

A A A A are the pivoted sections of rail, which I shall hereafter call pivot-switches. B O, B O, 850., (B being the groove and G the face of the rail,) are the open track, and B O B O are the closed track as the pivotswitches A A now stand. The dotted lines indicate the position in which the pivotswitches stand when shifted so as to open the track B O and B 0.

My device is constructed as follows: The outer angles of the crossing track are cut off in a circular manner down to the bottom of the grooves B and B. This gives room for semicircular pivot-switches, which so fit in that they will form a continuation of either track when properly set. These pivot-switches A A A A have their gudgeons journaled through the bed-plate I, and are operated by a system of levers and connecting-bars on the under side of the bed-plate, (see Fig. 2,) where will be seen the lovers 1) D D D attached to the gudgeon of the pivot-switchesA AA A. These are all connected together by the connectingrods E E E. At one side and near by the frog is a signal-post, H, on which I place the cranklever G. This I connect with the lovers and connecting-rods underneath by the connecting-rod F.

Now, I have described my invention suffi ciently to show its operation. Supposing the pivotswitches to stand as shown in Fig. 1, the signal on the post H will show that the right of way is open to track B G and closed to track B (J. The pivot-switches stand up flush and full to the face of the rail, and the train passes without jolt or jar. The watchman, knowing the next train will pass on trackB 0, turns the signal-post, which, operating through the crank-lever G, connecting-rod F on the levers D D D D, and rods E E E, turns the pivot-switches to the positions shown by the dotted lines. This gives the right of way to track B (J, and the train on that road passes with equal safety and without jar or jolt. My device can be used on any angle of crossing with equal ease.

Having thus fully described my invention, I will state what I claim.

Claims.

WVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. The pivot-switches A A A A, when operated from the signal-post H by means of levers and connecting-rods, substantially as herein set forth.

2. The pivot-switches A A A A, constructed as described, and operating as and for the purposes set forth.

3. The pivot-switches A A A A, in combination with the levers D D D D, connecting-rods E 'E E and F, and the crank-lever G and signal-post H.

WILLIAM It. HUNTER.

WVitnesses:

J NO. K. HALLOCK, F. F. MARSHALL. 

